The Congress on Saturday announced the first list of candidates for the Meghalaya and Tripura Assembly polls. For Meghalaya, the party announced 57 candidates, while for Tripura assembly 56 candidates names have been announced.
The tenure of the current 60-member assemblies in both Meghalaya and Tripura ends on March 6 and March 14, respectively.
Polling in Tripura will take place on February 18, while Meghalaya goes to polls on February 27. The counting of votes in both the states will be held on March 3.
Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma will contest the election from two constituencies -- Amphati and Songsak.
The party also gave tickets to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Marathon Sangma and Independent legislator Brigady N. Marak who had resigned as members of the Meghalaya Assembly and joined the party on January 23.
Marathon Sangma has been named the party's candidate from Mendipathar constituency while Marak will contest from Bejengdoba.
Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to arrive in Shillong on January 30 for a two-day meeting with the party workers and supporters of the poll-bound state.
The Congress had faced a major setback earlier this month when five of its MLAs resigned from the assembly and joined the NPP, and two other legislators moved to the BJP and the newly formed People’s Democratic Front.
The BJP, on the other hand, has said that it is in the process of finalising the visit of its star campaigners which include Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi had visited the state last month and addressed a gathering at Polo Grounds in Shillong. The rally was attended by thousands of people, including the BJP workers.
